Easton, MA – November 09, 2016
Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner from South Africa said “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” This embodies the heart of our local Peace Poster competition. The Easton Middle School had 34 artists participating among more than 450,000 entries submitted worldwide in the annual Lions International Peace Poster Contest.
Meray Nemr, age 11 and student at the Easton Middle School, took the first step to becoming an internationally recognized artist by winning the local Peace Poster competition sponsored by the Easton Lions Club. The Lions International Peace Poster theme for 2016-2017 is “A Celebration of Peace”. This year 34 students at the Easton Middle School participated in the contest. The Easton Lions give out awards to the top three artists every year. On October 26, the Lions Club judged all the posters on their originality, artistic merit and portrayal of the contest theme. Club President Matthew Cioffi said “It was challenging for the Lions to pick only three winners, as they were all beautifully done.“
Our second-place winner in the “Celebration of Peace” was Abbey DeCouto, while Alison Hupper won third place. Ms. Nemr, Ms. DeCouto, and Ms. Hupper were honored at the Easton Lions Club dinner meeting on Wednesday, November 9th at the VFW along with their families. Easton Lions Club President Matthew Cioffi said he was impressed by the creativity of the students at the Easton Middle School. “The expression of color and celebration among all the world’s people was very inspiring to me. All the young artists did wonderful work, expressing what peace means to them. I’m so proud that we were able to provide them with the opportunity to share their visions.”
“Ms. Nemr’s poster will advance to the District 33-S, southeastern Massachusetts region for the next round of judging on November 17th in Raynham. If her poster is chosen as the winner from 33-S, she will then move on to the multiple district judging and then possibly the international level of competition if her poster is chosen in each round.”
One international grand prize winner and 23 merit award winners will be selected. The grand prize includes a cash award of US$5,000, plus a trip for the winner and two family members to a special award ceremony. The 23 merit award winners will each receive a certificate and a cash award of US$500.
“Our club is cheering for Meray as her poster advances in the competition, and we hope that her vision will ultimately be shared with others around the world,” Cioffi said. Photos of all three winners and their posters can be viewed on the Easton Lions Club home page, www.EastonLions.org/peaceposter and on our Facebook page. The Easton Lions Club was voted best in the world in 2008 and are involved with many community events. Be sure to come down to the Holiday Festival at the Rockery on December 3rd and 4th.
You can view past international grand prize winners at the Lions Clubs International website. Lions Clubs International is the world’s largest service club organization with more than 1.35 million members in 210 countries and geographical areas around the world. Since 1917, Lions clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired and made a strong commitment to community service and serving youth throughout the world.
First Place Winner – Meray
Second Place Winner – Abby
Third Place Winner – Alison
